1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golf club design. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for designing a golf club by applying pendulum technology engineering physics and the laws of physics to create an optimally fabricated golf club.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Golf clubs have historically been made by attaching a wood or iron type head to the end of an elongated flexible shaft having a grip on the opposite end thereof. The head is provided with a flat ball striking face whereby a golf ball may be propelled in a forward direction toward a target when the club strikes the ball. Little regard was previously given to the physical structure of the club other than the flexibility of the shaft, the overall weight, and the swing weight of the club head. In fact, many early golf clubs, used by successful tournament players, were selected solely based on the feel of the club in the players' hands. This was done totally without regard for the technical and physical characteristics of the golf club.
As modern technology has advanced, attention has been directed to the development of more technically precise golf clubs which are matched to an individual golfer's swing. Specifically, methods have been developed to account for the mass of the head, shaft, and grip, and their relationship in the design of golf clubs. These methods enable proper balancing for each of the individual clubs and allow a golfer to develop a single swing.
Algebraic and differential equations have been previously used to match components of a golf club for dynamic balancing the clubs in a set. Specifically, and in accordance with such procedures, different lengths and weights of the individual components of a golf club are analyzed with respect to the moment of inertia about a pivot point. However, the distribution of masses within golf clubs designed in accordance with these prior balancing procedures only provides a golfer with a similar feel among the golf clubs in a set of golf clubs, and does not generate a more efficiently weighted golf club.
By analyzing a golfer's swing, attempts have been made to adjust the weights and moments within a golf club to provide the golfer with a club ideally suited for his or her specific swing. A major drawback to this golf club design technique is its focus on a specific golfer. That is, only custom clubs can be manufactured in accordance with these methods. Golf clubs made in mass production cannot benefit from these methods.
The present invention overcomes these problems by adjusting the mass within a golf club to provide the golfer the opportunity for a longer and more accurate shot. Also, the present invention may be implemented for one specific club or for the manufacture of a complete set of clubs.